Mel Robbins says feeling stuck ‘doesn’t mean you’re broken’—it’s the biggest mindset mistake people over 40 make
Many Americans feel stuck in their jobs. Gen Z workers are accepting whatever gig they can land, while mid-career professionals are keeping their heads down in a crushing labor market. But millionaire podcast personality Mel Robbins believes that the feeling of being trapped is often an illusion.
“If you feel stuck in your life, it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means that what’s missing in your life is growth,” Robbins recently said in an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning.
“When I felt stuck, I’m like, ‘Don’t tell me to take a class like my life is broken.’ No, what’s missing is you are stagnant,” she continued. “And if I can get you to grow and learn in any area of your life, you start to change, things start to loosen up and you start to see different things.”
The creator of The Mel Robbins Podcast and former CNN legal analyst says she’s constantly grown in her career by being observant. Robbins has led a successful two-decade career as a motivational speaker, best-selling author, and podcast host focused on self-improvement, after previously working in law. The key to being exceptional, she says, is to hone in on “all the details that most people ignore” and wave off as unimportant. Catching a trend that initially flies under the radar can make or break a career—especially being tech savvy in a newly AI-driven world.
“If there’s anything that I’m really proud of as a businesswoman, because I see too many of my friends in their late 40s and 50s making a mistake, which is when technology starts to change, people tend to lean back because they’re afraid,” Robbins explained. “I have always leaned in.”
And as many major employers integrate AI into every corner of their organizations, tech mastery has become a candidate prerequisite—not a plus. Robbins implores all people, but especially older generations, to get familiar with new technology. Otherwise, there could be career consequences.
“I understand the tech and the nuances, because if you don’t, people who do will run you over,” Robins said.
Robbins recognizes that Gen Z are lost, too: ‘There’s nothing wrong with you’
Gen Zers are majorly concerned about the state of their careers; entry-level job opportunities are shrinking, junior roles are being automated by AI, and wage bumps are falling flat. Robbins sympathizes with the young workers, who she says are constantly lambasted as “weak,” social media-addicted, and anxious. But the podcaster says they’re up against career hurdles that their older coworkers weren’t forced to navigate.
“The average 20-year-old today is under so much stress and pressure and chaos right now,” Robbins continued. “And it’s not stress and pressure and chaos that existed five or six years ago.”
Robbins explained that older generations wouldn’t know what it’s like to navigate adulthood in 2025. Homeownership is “out of reach,” the generational wealth gap continues to balloon, and they’re up against colossal student loan debt.
“They’re now in the middle of a recession, in hybrid work. The world is shifting, the landscape is shifting,” Robbins said. “If you feel lost, I’m not surprised. This is exactly how you should feel.”
And Gen Z is, by far, the most downtrodden when it comes to their work lives. Only 62% of the young professionals say they’re happy in their jobs, the lowest of any generation, according to a 2025 survey from MetLife. Beyond having trouble finding joy at the office, Gen Z employees are living through economic disarray outside of work. Only about 43% of entry-level workers feel positive about their employer’s six-month business outlook, according to a 2025 analysis—the lowest figure Glassdoor has recorded since its data collection started in 2016.
“You’re doing your twenties correctly—there’s nothing wrong with you,” she said.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com